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Monthly Archives: January 2015

Ever since my first cruise with Monarch of the Seas, I’ve picked up a few tricks of the trade along the way. Here are the top 10 things to consider before your next cruise:

1. Know when and where is the best time to go:

For example, right now is the best time to go to the Caribbean, before the rush of Spring Breakers flock for warm weather cruises. Travel + Leisure has a great explanation, which you can check out here.

2. If you live in the Northeast, you have two cruise options out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal until June

If you are interested in taking a cruise out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, you have two options, both with the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL): the Norwegian Gem Cruise and the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise. These are the only two options that go out of Manhattan and return to Manhattan until June, when the Carnival Cruise Line comes to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

3. Book your parking ahead of time.

Because parking at the terminal can be a bit tricky, not to mention expensive, on the day of, it is wise to reserve ahead. You can reserve ahead through ParkJockey here. Make sure to enter the promo code CRUISING to save $5 off of your booking!

4. Book at the last minute or while onboard another cruise

According to this article, you can really save a lot of money on last-minute cruises. Speaking from personal experience, if you are a retiree and are interested in Viking River Cruises, advertised on PBS during every episode of Downton Abbey, then there are a couple of tricks to get major discounts. You can really save when they have a boat that has a couple of cabins that haven’t sold, you can get a great deal by calling them up and seeing what’s available within four weeks. Alternatively, if you’ve already been on a Viking River Cruise, you can ask to be put in the “Viking Explorer Society” and get great deals. Lastly, if you book your next cruise while on board a cruise ship, you can experience major savings for your next trip.

5. Investigate credit card bonuses that my help you book your cruise for free or help with on-board expenses

I’ve long been a supporter of using credit card points to redeem for travel. Having redeemed mileage points for flights from Washington, DC. to New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, and Singapore for a grand total of $300 in taxes, using points for free travel is a bit of a hobby of mine, and the cruise industry is no exception.

Like airlines and hotels, cruise lines have co-branded credit cards. The Carnival Cruise Card is restricted to cruises and on-board expenses with Carnival. There are other offerings which might be more worthwhile, not being restricted to cruises, but redeemable for cruises as well as other cruise-related expenses such as airline tickets, hotel rooms, and car rentals. One such card is the Barclaycard Arrival, which will let you redeem at 1 cent per point for travel expenses.

According to the Points Guy, the Barclaycard Arrival offers 2 miles per $1 on all purchases and then you can redeem them at 1 cent apiece and get a 10% miles refund on travel redemptions. Another great example is the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which offers 2X points on all travel, including cruises, but also airlines, hotels, car rentals, etc., and whose points redeem normally for 1.25 cents (which means you can redeem 40,000 points for a $500 cruise) or for specfic cruises at 1 cent a piece.

Amex Cruises also enables you to book a cruise and pay with an American Express Platinum Card. They have a program called Cruise Privilege perks, which include stateroom credits, upgrades, and onboard amenities. According to the Points Guy, You can book a cruise directly through the website for a redemption rate of 1 cent per point. In other words, a $500 cruise will cost you 50,000 Membership Rewards points.

6. Book Through Airlines For Odd Savings That Earn You Miles

Airlines such as United and American Airlines have joined the cruise business (United Cruises and American Airlines Cruises), and you can earn airline miles on each cruise. You can even get triple the miles for balconies and suites!

7. Hire an agent to secure a good deal.

According to Budget Travel, agents have access to much better deals that we do. In fact, each cruise line employs specialists who can offer discounted fares. You can learn more about that here.

8.Enter a Cruise Auction

Apparently, there are cruise auctions as well that have bargains 90 days or less before sailing. Vacation To Go has a “90-day ticker” and Sky Auction has cruise auctions as well.

9. Explore a Repositioning Cruise for Extra Savings

According to Frugal Travel Guy, when seasons change, the cruise lines need to reposition the ship to warmer winter destinations and again for summer sailings in the cooler climates. These sailings are discounted, creating bargains for those who find them. When the ship makes this one-way voyage, there are a lot of cabins sold at a significant discount to prevent sailing a cruise without passengers. You can see options here: http://www.repositioningcruise.com/

10. Know the dress code.

Each ship has a different dress code depending on whether it’s high-end or more casual. Either way, you need to make sure you know what to wear to dress appropriately for the elegant dinners aboard cruise lines. Just in case, according to the Cruise Critic, one is able to rent tuxes on the luxury liners.

Enjoy the great savings! I hope this helps some of you on your next cruise!

Good convenient street parking in Chicago can be a miracle when you’re able to find it, but did you know that Chicago’s street parking is a strictly regulated as any operation in the nation?

Do you have a city sticker for the right zone? Are you willing to potentially need to come out in the middle of the night and renew your parking reservation with a machine?

Before you decide that you want to take advantage of the parking that the city streets offer – ask yourself – wouldn’t using ParkJockey (www.parkjockey.com – available in the Apple and Android app stores) be easier and in most cases cost the same price or less?

We offer hourly and monthly parking throughout the entire city. Our lots our commercial in nature and not subject to the city’s street parking regulations. Before you make your decision about where to park tonight – brush up on the following regulations and then take a look at a ParkJockey spot!

Frequently Asked Questions – Parking and Compliance in City of Chicago

Q. Will contesting or challenging my ticket really give me more time to pay?

A. No. Contrary to popular belief, contesting or challenging a ticket will unlikely buy you more time. In fact, if you are found liable you may be billed more quickly. Should you need more time to pay a ticket, please take advantage of one of the City of Chicago’s available payment plans.

Q. If I elect to contest my ticket by mail, what information should be included?

A. Set forth facts that establish an allowable defense. Also sign any supporting evidence and indicate the ten-digit ticket number of the ticket you are contesting on each piece of evidence. Evidence includes but is not limited to: photographs, affidavits, your state vehicle registration, or official police vehicle theft and/or recovery reports. Make sure the documents are legible and complete. Send copies, not originals; evidence will not be returned.

Q. My car is registered outside of Chicago. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Yes, as long as you are a resident of Chicago. Residents include all people who own or rent property in Chicago, regardless of whether or not Chicago is your primary home. New residents must obtain and display a City sticker in 30 days.

Q. I do not own property in Chicago but instead rent an apartment. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Parking enforcement personnel may issue tickets using handheld computers that can also take supporting photos. Photos will serve as evidence to a violation. Motorists who receive a ticket that is supported by photographs may view them on this site.

Q. Will the Administrative Law Officer listen to my side of the story?

A. Yes, but you need to raise one of the allowable defenses. Administrative Law Officers are private attorneys contracted by the City of Chicago’s Department of Administrative Hearings. They are trained to hear parking ticket cases and must be fair and impartial. They must base their rulings on ordinances and not on personal feelings.

Q. Why did I get a ticket when there was clearly no yellow line?

A. The yellow line itself does not determine whether a parking space is legal or illegal. The yellow line is merely a warning to look around for a “no parking sign” or an indication that you can’t park there.

Q. Can I get a ticket, even if I was illegally parked for a minute?

A. You may be ticketed for parking illegally for any amount of time. The actual duration one is parked illegally is not a defense.

Q. Can I be ticketed even if there was time on the meter? How is that possible?

A. If you are parked at a two-hour meter, for example, you are not allowed to feed the meter after the two hours are over. You must move your car so that other motorists may park. Even if you put more quarters in the meter, if you have parked there over the stated limit, you can get a ticket.

Q. Why did I get a ticket for a Street Cleaning Violation? There were no signs posted when I parked.

A. The City must provide reasonable notice of street cleaning or other temporary no-parking restrictions. A hearing officer can determine whether or not a violation is proper.

Q. I received multiple tickets for the same meter violation, how is that possible?

A. Motorists can get multiple parking tickets for sitting at the same expired meter, so if you are parked at an expired one-hour meter for more than two hours, you can get two tickets.

Q. What are the defenses for contesting parking tickets?

A. The Municipal Code of Chicago allows the following defenses for parking and compliance tickets. The following defenses are allowed for most parking and compliance tickets:

The respondent was not the owner or lessee of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation;

The cited vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were stolen at the time of the violation;

The relevant signs prohibiting or restricting parking were missing or obscured;

The relevant parking meter was inoperable or malfunctioned through no fault of the respondent;

The facts alleged in the parking or compliance violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the specified regulation was violated (e.g., motorists may contest a city sticker violation if they have resided in Chicago for less than 30 days or the cited vehicle was purchased in the last 30 days; tinted windows comply with the medical use requirement of 625 ILCS 5/12-503(g); the residential parking permit was issued to a delivery, service, or repair vehicle or home health care provider doing business with or assisting a resident of the zone; etc.);

The illegal vehicle condition did not exist at the time of the compliance violation;

A. The following defenses are allowed for red-light violations recorded by automated cameras (violations issued pursuant to 9-102-020 of the Municipal Code of Chicago). You should have received a notice by postal mail displaying three (3) images of a vehicle registered in your name, including a close-up image of the vehicle’s license plate:

The operator was also issued a uniform traffic citation for a violation of sections 9-8-020(c) or 9-16-030(c) (for purposes of red light camera violations issued pursuant to section 9-102-020 only);

That the violation occurred when the vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were reported to a law enforcement agency as having been stolen, and the vehicle or its plates had not been recovered by the owner at the time of the alleged violation;

The vehicle was an authorized emergency vehicle or was lawfully participating in a funeral procession;

That the facts alleged in the violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the Chicago Municipal code was violated;

The respondent was not the owner of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation.

At any given moment on any given day, there are countless cruise ships embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime voyage — all from the same port. If you’re lucky enough to be heading out on one of these floating paradises, there is one last thing you have to do before you can kick back on the lido deck and enjoy that first Piña Colada: Park! With so many ships leaving port at the same time there are thousands of people flocking everyday to a very concentrated area, making parking a significant incubus for travelers. ParkJockey is here to ease these parking concerns by providing vacationers with a parking reservation technology system in four of the busiest cruise ports in America!

Millions of bus users are set to face a day of bedlam tomorrow and there is a possibility it could even continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning, reports TFL.

It has been said that 27,000 workers from the 18 bus operators that run the routes in the capital are set to go on strike tomorrow over a pay disparity.

Over 200 routes are said to be affected (patchy!)

Normally, a seamless commute, day of shopping, dinner or drinks in the big smoke, is set to turn into a day of uncertainty and terror not to mention the waiting and mulling around in the underground – it’s simply not worth complaining or moaning about…

… So don’t beat around the bush, get into your car and reserve your parking spot today with ParkJockey – it will be the best idea you’ve had!

We are half way through the football season and The Blues are still in with a chance to pick up 4 trophies! Fingers crossed…

We have seen you have booked a couple times with us for Chelsea games.

ParkJockey is offering its loyal customers parking for all home games until the end of the season *including all home cup matches (Champions League, FA Cup, Capital One Cup Semi-Final vs Liverpool) for just £80. This works out to under £5 per game!

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” ― Will Rogers

Everyone now has just about managed to restart their car – some would’ve needed their choke, some would’ve done it with a groan – but it’s time to start the 2015 journey.

Now depending on what road you take from this week forward, there could either be a bundle of opportunity, little opportunity or none whatsoever.

Let’s hope there is a bundle!

Think of the tempting parking spots, conveyed by Rogers, as little pockets that stop you from reaching the end goal.

These goals can be little and large from; getting a promotion, having an amazing birthday or maybe watching your sports team win the league title.

Now at ParkJockey, our culture takes a similar approach in making sure you the valued customer drives down the road comfortably to your desired destination.

> Try driving down the road and being stuck in traffic – You can call us Moses but we’ll make sure you weave your way to the space, just in time and close to the office for that important meeting you need to be at for work (for your promotion).

> It’s a miserable rainy day and parking seems to be scarce – We can’t change the weather but we can certainly make sure your eyes are dry from the agony of looking for parking for over 10 minutes. In the end you make it early enough for your birthday party, and the the spot was even reserved for you.

> It’s gridlock near the stadium and there are fans walking around the street with their hotdogs and burgers – You’ve joined them, soaking up the atmosphere and ready for your favourite sports team’s big game of the year – because you pre-booked your parking in advance and you got there before all the commotion!